Sunday, September 21, 2008

We're Back!

We arrived at LAX around 6:30 last night, and got home around 8:30. What a great trip. We really do love the UK, and can't wait to go back again. Chris and Melissa are planning on taking their citizenship test (to become dual citizens US/UK) in two years, and plan on being in London indefinitely. That's great news for us, and we will definitely be back to see them. Here are a few pictures from some of the highlights of the trip.

Here we are with the neighbors at the wedding. It was one of the most amazing weddings we've ever seen. Between the castle itself, wonderful friends, and a beautiful ceremony with an owl delivering the wedding rings, this is a wedding we will remember forever. We're so happy we were able to be part of Andrew and Ciara's day. This was one of those trips that made us realize (again) how truly charmed and lucky we are.

Being able to stay in a castle was really amazing. We were in the Edward I room, with a beautiful view of the countryside. All I can say is that it must have been VERY nice to have been royal and had castles to live in. I know they were probably pretty cold, and damp, but they really are fabulous. To think that this castle was built in the 13th century, and updated in the 15th century is unbelievable, by far the oldest place we've ever slept. The stairs were very creaky, and everything had a sort of settled in lean to it (the stairs, the floors, etc.). It was fabulous, and I would recommend it if you're over that way.

This is the chapel within the castle, where the ceremony was performed. It was small and intimate. The chairs are just like the ones we bought for our dining room table from a church that was moving when we were still in Ohio. Except these are for four and three, and ours are just for two.
This is Nimuae the owl (and the best man, Omar). After the wedding, before the reception, we were treated to a falconry demonstration on the green. It was really neat, the birds are so smart, and beautiful to watch.
London has the largest Indian population outside of India, as a result, there are wonderful plalces for Indian food. We ate at Little India in Chelsea/South Kensington, just down the street from Chris and Melissa's old flat. We actually went there twice while we were in London. The food and service are unbeatable. If you are ever in London, you MUST eat at this restaurant. Our favorites are the Chicken Vindaloo and the Butter Chicken, as well as the Lamb Tikka and their specialty dish SLM (it's full name is hard to pronounce, and there's no way I can spell it). Their Spicy Lime Pickle and Mango Chutney appetizers are so good, I was online looking for recipies this morning.
Sightseeing in London and Scotland was a lot of fun, here we are in front of the London Eye, on the bridge in front of Parliament/Big Ben.
Here we are on the Tower Bridge, we had wonderful weather during our days in London. Apparently we brought the California sunshine with us. Londoners were out in their tank tops and flip flops enjoying it everywhere we went.
Here I am with my cousin Chris. He reminds me more and more of my dad each time I see him. I am so glad that we were able to spend time with him, and Melissa. It's nice that we can be close even though we're on different continents.
We couldn't go to London and not go to Borough market. We had lunch and did some shopping. I had the grilled cheese - I'm convinced it's world famous, if it's not, it should be. Dan had the Salt Beef sandwich. We picked up the mushroom pate and some olives for Melissa. We brought back some pate, and some tea from the market.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Edinburgh, Scotland

We arrived in Edinburgh yesterday and went to our hotel, the Marriott Dalmahoy Country Club. We settled in, and made our way downtown to Browns Bar & Brasserie for Andrew and Ciara's rehearsal dinner. We really enjoyed meeting their families, and seeing them again. They are getting very excited for their wedding on Wednesday. After dinner, we all went to Giribaldi's Mexican Cantina for dancing.

Today, the guys went golfing at King's Acre, and the girls went to the spa at Dalhousie Castle. It was a nice relaxing morning. After everyone got back to the castle, the four of us went to downtown Edinburgh. Dan and I walked the city, and Jesse and Jeanine went on a tour.


Dan and Jesse, blending like locals before golfing. A mix of shots from the guys' golf day. 1. Jesse's ball dug in the mud. 2. Omar's golf swing. 3. Andrew checking a Shetland pony's teeth on the course. 4. Corey's golf swing (nice wig). 5. Andrew at the 19th hole. 6. Jesse minding the trolleys. 7. Andrew reading the course guide (no, not Golfing for Dummies). 8. Dan's golf swing. 9. Andrew, Dan & Omar on the course.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Checking In From London

We left for LAX at 4:00 Friday, with plenty of time to park and grab a bite before we boarded the plane for Hethrow. We arrived in London yesterday at about 3:00, and spent the day with Chris and Melissa. We stayed around Parson's Green and went to a couple of local pubs. Today, Jeanine and I got up and went for a nice walk by the Thames. We left the flat around 9:30 and went to Westminster Abbey, Pariament and Big Ben. We went to Covent Garden for lunch to meet Jesse's cousin Paul, his wife Allie and their two year old, Will. We spent time with them, and met up with Chris and Melissa at Spidalfield Market. Jesse's cousins left to take the train back to Ipswich and we went to Kensington to have dinner at Little India, a wonderful Indian restaurant. We walked past Chris and Melissa's old flat and went to their old pub, the Queens Arms. We came back to their flat and are getting ready for our trip to Edinburgh tomorrow morning.

Here we are at LAX, just before we left. This was right after we saw Russell Brand (who was on our plane). I had no idea who he was, and now I do.

The view as we started our descent into London. This plane had a HUGE wingspan.
Dan took this picture of Me, Melissa, Chris, Jesse and Jeanine at Duke on the Green, a pub at Parson's Green. The burgers with fois gras were very tasty!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Pack it up!

Well, we are up late (as usual the night before a trip) getting our stuff together. Jeanine and I have talked at least 8 times today about the details of our trip. I think we have everything, and if we don't, that's just too bad. Dan and I both have to work in the morning but luckily we can work from home, then we have a few last minute errands to run before J&J pick us up at 4:00.


Monday, September 8, 2008

Our First Anniversary

It was a year ago today that we were on the beach in Montecito having our gorgeous beach wedding, time flies! Our gift to each other is our trip to the UK.


Blimey! It's Almost Time for Our Trip


Our trip to the UK is quickly approaching. Below is our itinerary (with all the details in our little purple travel thing that we take everywhere), so you know where we'll be on which days. We are very much looking forward to our trip, and are so excited to go back to London, and for our first trip to Scotland. Here are the details:


Friday, September 12
Depart LAX for LHR (London - Hethrow) at 8:55PM Virgin Atlantic Flight 24 (VS024). Jeanine and Jesse will be picking us up and we'll all head over to the airport.

Saturday, September 13
Arrive LHR at 3:35PM London time (we'll be 5 hours ahead of EST, 6 ahead of CST and, 8 ahead of PST). We'll take the train in to London, hop on the tube, then off to Parson's Green to Chris and Melissa's place. We'll visit for a bit, then figure out what our plan is.

Sunday, September 14
Sightseeing in London

Monday, September 15
Our train leaves for Edinburgh at 8:00AM and arrives around 1:00PM. We will check in to the Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club when we arrive in Edinburgh. We may see Mary King's Closes or do a Scotch tasting before dinner. At 7:30, we'll be attending Ciara and Andrew's rehearsal dinner at Browns Bar & Brasserie.

Tuesday, September 16
The girls will be at the spa in the morning and the guys will be golfing at King's Acre Golf Course.
We'll spend the rest of the day in Edinburgh, sightseeing.

Wednesday, September 17
The wedding is at 2:30PM and we'll be staying in the castle tonight! You can see where we'll be by visiting http://www.dalhousiecastle.co.uk/

Thursday, September 18
We'll have brunch with everyone before we leave for London at 2:00PM. We'll arrive back in London at 6:00PM.

Friday, September 19
More sightseeing in London, with a trip to Burrough Market, for sure.

Saturday, September 20
Depart LHR at 3:10PM and arrive LAX at 6:45PM Virgin Atlantic Flight 23 (VS023)

We'll keep you posted with our daily pictures and e-mails, like we did last time. When we get back, we'll put a lot more pictures and details on the blog.

Monday, September 1, 2008

A Day in Los Feliz

We spent the day with Jeanine's sister Julene and her fiance Danny at Danny's place in Los Feliz. I took some pictures of the two of them for their engagement, then we had a big kickball game and a BBQ with a bunch of their friends. We hadn't played kickball since about sixth grade, but it's like riding a bike, and was a lot of fun! After the BBQ Dan and Jesse won a bocce ball tournament. Jesse and Jeanine, Dan and I can't wait for our trip to the UK. We talked about our plans and tried to figure out everything we want to see and do while we're there. It's coming up quick!

Here's Danny & Juls, they are such a fun couple. They're getting married in January.
We were right across the street from Griffith Park, in another beautiful park.
It was super hot, Juls and Jeanine (and a bunch of other people) jumped in the fountain to cool off.
Our ball got stuck up in a tree, halting the game. Dan saved the day by throwing another ball up to get our ball down.
Here are a bunch of kickball regulars, as you can probably tell.